Unit 1 – Natural and Human

Systems We Live in a

World of Systems

The Big Ideas

Systems

• The interaction of natural and human systems on the Earth shapes the environment in which you live.

Natural system – a system found in nature.

Natural systems include:

• water cycle

• weather and climate systems

• water drainage systems

• energy cycles

These are systems that occur in nature, and together, they form: ecosystems – a community of plants and animals that interact with one another and with their physical environment. The physical environment includes the land, climate, soils, water, and nutrients that support living things.

Human systems include: • human settlements • transportation systems (highway, railway, and

airline routes) • communication systems ( telephone networks) • information systems (Internet) • economic systems (manufacturing) • energy systems (electricity) • infrastructure systems (bridges)

Human systems - systems created by people

Systems: Dynamic and Synergetic

• They are dynamic - continually changing.

• While natural systems generally evolve very slowly

over thousands or millions of years, human systems

change much more quickly.

• It is hard to study one system without also examining

others because systems and their components are

dependent on one another.(synergy)

Earth’s Natural Systems

http://video.about.com/geography/The-Four-Earth-Spheres.htm

The Atmosphere • Atmosphere - a thin layer of gases

that surrounds the Earth.

• Consists mainly of nitrogen and

oxygen.

• Includes small amounts of water

vapour, carbon dioxide, and

ozone.

• The atmosphere protects you from

the sun’s intense energy and

distributes heat around the planet.

The Lithosphere • Lithosphere - includes the Earth’s crust and the

uppermost part of the underlying mantle consisting of

rocks, minerals, and soil.

• Thickness from 2-250 km

• Is broken into a number of pieces called crustal plates.

• These pieces move around very slowly on the underlying

mantle in the process of plate tectonics.

• This movement can cause earthquakes or volcanic

eruptions.

The Hydrosphere • Hydrosphere - all the water

and moisture on the Earth in

all its forms.

• Oceans/lakes/rivers/glaciers/

swamps/water vapour/

water in plants and animals

• 97% salt water/3% fresh water

• Oceans cover about 70% of

the Earth’s surface - the blue

planet.

The Biosphere • Biosphere - the layer of the Earth in which life

evolves.

• It supports all living things.

• Since living things are found almost everywhere, the

whole planet and all its spheres together are often

referred to as the biosphere.

• 3 Point Approach

Characteristics of Natural Systems

Natural Systems Work in Cycles – a look at the Water Cycle.

Needs and Wants • Use the Sheet Provided to create a list of five needs

and five wants. Indicate how you meet each need

and want, and which system(s) is used to satisfy

each. Then, rank each list of needs and wants ,

from least (5) to greatest (1)

Human Systems • People depend on natural systems:

o We use technology to harvest natural resources and create lifestyles that are different from one place to another.

o We can manipulate our environment. For example:

• clear forests to build farms

• create chemicals to control pests

• build transportation routes to make connections between places

• build dams to reduce flooding and create hydroelectric power

Examples of Human Systems

• Whenever you go shopping you are interacting with

Canada’s economic system and transportation

system.

• Transportation systems - the interconnecting

networks, such as road and rail lines, that move

people and goods.

• Economic systems - integrated activities, such as

manufacturing and transportation, that produce

and deliver goods and services.

Characteristics of Human Systems

Infrastructure • How does water,

electricity, and

telephone service get to

your house?

• Vital services supply us

with, heat, roads, bridges

and waste removal.

• Infrastructure – the

structures or networks of

basic services needed for

the functioning of a

community or economy.

Media Watch Activity • Water Crisis - Page 62 answer the following

1. Write one sentence that summarizes the current

situation with Newfoundland and Labrador’s water

infrastructure.

2. Make predictions about how you think the issues

highlighted in the article will be resolved.

3. What actions can you take to help ensure your

local water supply is safe and secure?

Activity • Create a two-column chart. In the first column, list

the main economic activities that are found in the

community in which you live. In the second column,

describe how these activities depend on nature.

Economic activities Natural Systems Dependence

Fishing Atmospheric weather conditions, Wind, Snow etc.. Lack of Biosphere – No Fish

Interaction of Systems • Humans depend on nature for their needs, and they cannot

help but change the natural environment as they use its resources. What are the consequences—negative and positive, intended or not—of these actions?

• Water pollution, smog, pesticide use, garbage dumps, and toxic chemicals are just some of the issues.

• Human activities like burning fossil fuels to run cars, trucks,

factories, and power plants, as well as to heat buildings, have

started to change the makeup of gases in the atmosphere.

• Your town council has decided to build a new golf course in your town. What are the positive, negative and unintended consequences of this decision?

Determine Significance • The Government of NL has decided to make a road

that goes from Little Burnt Bay to Norris Arm. What

are the positive, negative and unintended

consequences of this decision?

• Use the chart (page 132 CG)provided to determine

the magnitude, duration and scope of this

proposed change.

Interactions • Read the poem by Kevin Graal page 66. Outline the

human systems that are either directly or indirectly

referred to in the poem. Identify which of these systems

could be considered part of the infrastructure of your

community.

• Make a list of all the pollutants in the final verse of the

poem. Research one of the pollutants to find the

following information:

• common source(s) of the pollutant

• its uses in society

• possible harmful effects to people and wildlife

• an alternative to its use

• ways that you or others could reduce the impact

of this pollutant on the water supply